Ranger Apprentice One-Shots

SnowRanger

Hey fellow Rangers! I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did in writing it; I want to thank @_Starfall1_for her input and helpful suggestions-you should check out her amazing work for sure and give her a like. ^^ Until later, stay safe, stay well and always trust the cloak!

    Tug picked his way through the trail already broken in the crust of yesterday's snow, lifting his hooves carefully as he did so. There was a minimum of noise from him, and his slight rider made none, though he was on the alert for signs himself.

  They came out from the trees and Will reigned in Tug for a moment, to enjoy the sight of the plain cabin ahead in the valley, a slight smile curving his lips. The lazy trail of smoke meant Halt had already arrived and was probably well into preparations for dinner; which also meant he would need to refill the wood box outside the kitchen door, the young boy reflected.

Urging Tug ahead, they crossed the clearing quickly and approached the stables. Will carefully unloaded his saddlebags, then removed the saddle and bridle, giving Tug a good rubdown in the stall that smelled comfortingly of the little shaggy horse and a mixture of hay, doling out some oats at the very last. The little horse's ears pricked forward and he suddenly nickered eagerly.
"No apples right now, my friend." The little horse seemed to look at him reproachfully, shaking his head as if to say he disagreed with the assumption Will had thought he wanted more food. The young Ranger realized suddenly that it was his greeting nicker.

Will stiffened slightly, as he heard a scraping noise so faint others would have missed it in the louder sounds of Tug's munching and Abelard's snort. It seemed to have come from the stable roof, and towards the doorway.

Vaulting silently into Tug's stable, Will slipped over to the wall and eased the window open a bit at a time. He listened again but didn't hear anything; behind him , Tug munched at the oats. Whoever or whatever it was, the ranger's horse wasn't worried about it, which was a good sign. So it was someone the horse trusted...a friend...Halt? Or someone else. There were just the two horses here, but the unknown person could have left theirs elsewhere out of sight. It would behoove him to find out, he thought.

But he still wasn't going to just walk out the door-a Ranger didn't do things like that. Placing his hands on the sill Will lightly vaulted up onto it, before cautiously raising his face above the roof edge, ever so slowly. His legs strained with the unusual position, the tension in his grip making his fingers ache. There was a lot of snow up here, but he didn't see a sign of anyone.
Then something white flew out of nowhere and cold snow exploded in his face. With a yelp, the young Ranger lost his grip and fell backwards into a bank, the powder folding softly over him and trickling down his collar. Struggling back to his feet he heard the all too familiar laugh.

"Gilan! I should have known!" The handsome rangers face peered down at him from his height. 

"It was really too simple. I only had to let you know I was here, and presumably by the door, for you to come out the window." His grin was wide.
Will pretended to be angry, then smiled back good-naturedly. "I presume you saw this coming, then?" Even as he spoke, he lobbed the snowball with unerring aim at the other Ranger.

"U-ugh!" It caught Gilan by surprise but he quickly pulled back even as it struck, so that he escaped the second one. Will was up and armed by now, and as the taller ranger dropped from the roof they continued the battle across the yard until they were spent and soaking.

Laughing until his lungs ached from the cold air, Will cut off short as Gillan suddenly staggered and knelt down on one knee in the drifts. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"You know, I think I've done it." Will couldn't see Gilan's face for the deep cowl on his cloak, but his shoulders seemed to twitch under some spasm.

"Gilan! Do you need help?" He started forward but the other Ranger gasped,
"No, get Halt!"

Without thinking, Will yelled out "Halt! Hurry, we need you!" still coming toward his friend, he added, "Just stay there, we'll help you in Gillan." He must have twisted his leg, Will thought to himself.

"What have you two done now?" Halt stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. To Will's disbelief, Gilan rose suddenly and fired a snowball point blank at his mentor. Two snowball's. Halt dodged the first. but he couldn't the second, which was spaced far enough apart that he would be in the path of one no matter which way he went. 

Will's mouth opened in a small "o" as he stared in horror at the powdery white that encrusted his mentors usual salt and pepper beard. Then, "Gilan!"

The younger boy spun around. "You made me call him because you knew he wouldn't come unless I thought there was really something wrong!" The "spasms " shook the tall ranger's shoulders again in silent laughter. 

"Well if there is something funny, I would

 like to share the joke." Halt's voice spoke dangerously low from behind Will. His dark eyes narrowed as he brushed the last fragments from his tunic shirt. They darted from his younger apprentice, to the older one who was still grinning ear to ear unabashedly. 

 "Come now, Halt; you must admit it makes you feel young again to play in the snow." He teased.

"Oh, I'm already tottering over my grave am I, Gilan?" One eyebrow went up and Will waited, not realizing he held his breath in anticipation for what was coming next. Strangely enough, nothing did. Halt merely grunted. "If  you two children are done, the dinner is ready and hot."

 As his mentor waited for them, Will tried to not show his confusion as he edged warily across the threshold. Apparently, Halt was going to let it go at that.

 But it just wasn't Halt's way.. the answer came rapidly as Gilan stepped up to the door after Will. Sweeping the  young boy clear of the door, Halt suddenly closed it. Hard. There was a muffled 'whump', as a sheet of snow that had been resting precariously on the roof edge now plummeted, and Gilan's voice raised in protest. As the door opened again to reveal the tall, snow-clad young man on the doorstep, Will heard the smile in Halt's voice as he sighed reminiscently. "You're right, it does make one feel young again. Been forever since I last made a SnowRanger."